“Um, you don’t mean that, do you? Nobody rejects a mate, Yvaine! This is 2025!” He let out a strained laugh.
“I thought about it when my lovely mate abandoned me at the party…after he tried to kiss me.”
“Tried? What do you meantried?” There was something in his voice that I couldn’t quite put a finger on.
“You seem startled, Rudy. Can’t my mate try to kiss me? Mates usually do that. What theydon’tusually do is abandon each other!”
My cheeks flushed thinking about my half-lie. I drummed my fingers against my lips, maybe trying to scare the ghost of that kiss away, but I sighed with nostalgia and desire instead.
No one had warned me about the addiction after a kiss with your soulmate. Where heart and brain aligned and, for once, agreed to one more kiss…and then another and then another, until they were consumed. Like the tragic love story between flame and candle, lovers destined to kill each other in their burning passion.
“Yes, sure he can, but your statement implies that you refused the kiss. Did you?”
“No, I didn’t.” I took a big inhalation.
“And?”
“Okay, it was the best kiss in freaking history!” I bluntly told Lucien, who blew out air that ended in a quick, raspy laugh. I kicked my feet against the wall. “Still. Doesn’t erase the fact that he ditched me! There, with my mouth open, catching flies and disappointments! I really did hate him for a second.”
“You know what they say, there’s a fine line between love and hate, Bunny Doc.”
“That’s just a quote to make people feel better when they can’t accept that they’re unwanted and unlikable.”
“Okay, okay.” He chuckled. “So you hate him…except for the part where you don’t.”
“It’s unbelievable! One moment he was there with me, treating me like he…like he…”
“Like he…?” he asked, all husky and male.
“Like he loved me, and thenpoof! Vanished. Who does that to their mate? Just the biggest jerkiest jerk ever! Oh! And do you know what else he did?”
“What else?”
I pursed my lips for a second; were my love problems just his source of entertainment?
“Well, I found this pretty necklace…”
“On the ground?” Hetsked. “Not a good habit, picking up random litter you find.”
“He gave it to me, you antlers owner!”
“Antler what?”
“Anyway, he gave me this…this…precious, pretty half-moon necklace, and I suddenly remembered how we danced and made out at the party…and I couldn’t hate him that much anymore! Argh, he gives me migraines!”
“Whatever you say, bunny.” He sounded more amused than ever, his voice deeper than usual. “Whatever you say.”
“Migraines!”
“Jeez, heard you the first time.”
“Mates are supposed to provide cuddles, lengthen your lifespan?—”
“How?”
“With all the sex he isn’t giving me! And the cuddles. Did you know hugs can lower cortisol levelsandblood pressure?”
He cleared his throat.Twice.“Didn’t know that.”
